Firestorm Circus
by anajadenx
Summary: AU. There is a circus filled with excitement and wonder, a place to enjoy and have fun. But behind the colorful façade, there is something much deeper and darker than anyone could imagine: a broken past, a dangerous present, and a shattered future. Welcome to Firestorm.
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone.**

 **Before we begin, I have to give a quick warning. This Fanfiction will be significantly darker than the ones I usually write, and the characters and plot will be quite twisted and tainted with darkness and sadism. So be prepared.**

 **Also, I have to give a special thanks to shadowell for helping me out with this story! This wouldn't have existed without her help. Well, pretty much everything I write wouldn't be there without her. So if you guys want to, check out her profile and stories! She has some seriously good stuff.**

 **To Nicole, Keeper, Shady,** **天** **:** **里面的人物，尤其是** **Anastasia** **和她的朋友们不会像** **Shattered** **里面一样。虽然他们的外表是一样的，但是他们的辛格和表现不会那么'完美'。在这里，他们会更'** **human'** **，有更多的缺点。**

 **Just a quick notice. XD**

 **Firestorm Circus**

 **Prologue**

The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of gold and red. The city below them was washed in shadow, peaceful and calm.

Four silhouettes rose from the hills. Behind them lay the smoldering ruins of a former home. Ahead of them lay a future, that would without a doubt, end in tragedy.

The sun continued to sink. The stars continued to rise. Night continued to fall.

The four silhouettes continued to walk, cutting through the main path of the city. Their heads were high, their shoulders squared, their chins lifted in pride. No one looked at them. No one turned to them. No one questioned the smoking remains of the Firestorm Circus.

Wordlessly, the four silhouettes walked out of the city. Where did they go? No one knew. Probably somewhere dark and dangerous, where they belong.


	2. One

**Firestorm Circus**

 **Chapter One**

" _There's a humming in the restless summer air…"  
Glory and Gore – Lorde_

The air was cold around her bare shoulders, its icy fingers sliding across her skin. Her long red hair streamed down her back in a soft wave, and she looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips were in a shade of dark wine, her eyebrows formed into arched, dark lines, her cheekbones strangely soft but sharp. Steady eyes wreathed in smoky makeup looked back at her, wide with fear.

Erza wasn't afraid of anything. But this time, she was terrified.

For goodness sake, she was in Firestorm Circus! She was in Fairy Tail, the most powerful guild in the world. Nevertheless, she was still so scared. Maybe it was because Jellal was the one who was going to Dance with her?

Fairy Tail used to be the resident guild in Magnolia, but now, it wasn't quite the resident guild anymore. Yes, they had their guildhall there, but the members were constantly shifting. Ever since Firestorm Circus came along and made them a deal to become their Circus performers and get really rich in the process, their fate had been sealed. Members of Fairy Tail soon joined Firestorm Circus, and everyone was happy. The best thing? You didn't have to remove your Fairy Tail tattoo, the mark that proves you're a part of the guild. Everyone saw Firestorm Circus as a long job that paid really well and took you around the world. It's a win-win deal for everyone.

Firestorm wasn't a guild. It was more like an organization working by itself, and run completely by normal humans with no powers. They were really more like mercenaries, trading weapons, technology, and the occasional magic-infused object. They really didn't hurt anyone.

Erza joined the Circus as well. However, she didn't join the fun onstage. They needed a manager, so she got the role. In a way, she didn't mind staying backstage. Occasionally, she'd pop up, perform a few tricks, and say hello to the crowd, but mostly, she was too busy yelling at people to get ready.

But then, there was the Dance of Knives.

Anastasia Jaden, the general manager of Firestorm Circus, usually did the Dance with Jellal. But this time, she had a last-minute call to make a deal with some other random organization. And the only one left who could do the Dance of Knives without getting skewered was the one and only Erza Scarlet.

Erza unfolded her costume, a sleek black bodysuit made of soft and impossibly light material, and slipped it on, tying on a light belt made of interlocking golden chains. She reached for two sleek knives, glinting in the soft yellow lights.

Outside the heavy curtains of the wings, the audience was silent; stunned by the spectacles they have just seen. The air was heavy from smoke, and Erza could taste the chalky dust in the air. Natsu, the Fire Trickster had done a good job making the leftover ash float in the air.

Erza pushed aside the heavy red curtains, walking into view. Her boots left soft marks in the thin layer of ash on the floor. There were no flashing lights and dramatics, apart from a steady yellow glow illuminating the stage. Unlike most circuses who overloaded their dramatics, this circus knew what they were doing.

Suddenly, there was an audible gasp. Erzat tilted her head as she watched a sturdily built man leap down from a platform located near the ceiling of the circus tent. He was free-falling down, and Erza knew that he would splatter into a messy grease spot on the stage if he didn't stop himself in time.

Just as the man was roughly two-thirds of the way down, large, leathery bat wings sprang from his back, the tough material of the wings straining as they stopped him in midair. The man angled the wings, and he began to fall again at a much slower, but constant speed, landing lightly on his feet as he reached the stage.

The man straightened, the wings folding themselves tightly to his back.

Oh yes, that was Jellal. The tattoo down his face glowed like blood in the light, and there was no expression, absolutely no emotion on his face. Despite everything, Erza felt a small pang of sadness. Ever since that day, nothing had been the same between them ever again.

He drew two knives, and Erza knew that they were both ready.

The Dance of Knives was one of the most difficult things to do in the world. Both of the Dancers had to be experts in dance and martial arts. Both Dancers had to be physically strong, fast, and agile. Both Dancers had to be ready to die, because one slice from a knife would leave them paralyzed if they were lucky, and dead if they weren't.

Erza and Jellal broke into a sprint, charging towards one another. When they collided, it was spectacular. Their knives collided, spraying golden sparks into the air, stirring up the ash on the floor. Because of her size, Erza was forced down, sliding on the slick floor into a sleek slide.

Erza got to her feet, lowering herself into a catlike crouch before striking again. Knives flashed as they aimed for the heart, the neck, and the arteries that would kill. After the first collision, the knives never touched a thing. It didn't touch their clothes, their skin, nothing. Erza could feel the tauntingly cool air of the blade, but she was never given a scratch.

Briefly, the girl stole a quick glance at the audience. The watchers were silent, sitting at the edge of their seats, eyes wide.

The Dance increased in speed, until they were nothing but two black streaks and flashing silver. Her muscles burned with strain. Ash swirled around them.

As quickly as it began, it was over. From nowhere, there was a plume of smoke that was so thick it covered both of them like a blanket. A section of the stage slid open, and they fell down into the empty space below the stage, landing lightly like jungle cats. Above them, Erza could hear the audience gasping.

Jellal stood, and gave her a curt, quick nod before walking away, making his way back up. Erza didn't say anything, breathing heavily.

So that was it. In the past, Jellal would have rushed up to her, congratulated her, and they would have gone out for some ice-cream or cold sodas. Now, it was just a nod. Wow, just wow.

Erza sighed. There really was no use reminiscing the past. Reluctantly, she walked away too.

* * *

There was a little room above the stands. It wasn't very big, barely the size of a small bedroom. It was also very plain, with only a table and two chairs in it. One side of the wall was a one-way mirror. If anyone below them looked in their direction, they would only see the red-and-gold striped canvas of the pavilion, nothing out of the ordinary. But the people inside the room could see everything that is happening downstairs.

Anastasia sat down on one of the chairs behind the table, glancing out. The audience was staring, raptured, at the stage where Erza and Jellal whirled with their knives. She continued to scan the crowd, smiling a bit as she saw a few members of Firestorm slipping bags and boxes to clients in the crowd, and tucking the payment into pockets before disappearing.

That's the beauty of the circus. Most of the people there were innocent civilians ready to have a fun night. Some of the people were… well, they had lots of customers. Other mercenaries, terrorist organizations, free-lance assassins… everyone came to Firestorm Circus if they wanted a few fancy gadgets, or the latest designs on guns, or to upgrade weapons. If the police were to storm their Circus, they wouldn't dare to, because by doing so, they'd be putting thousands of people in the middle of crossfire. Surely no one would want that.

But then, there was another organization that pretty much rivaled Firestorm: the Black Assassins. And the really sad thing is that Firestorm had no freaking idea what the Black Assassins did.

Then, literally ten minutes before performance, Anastasia received a message that a Black Assassin was coming to visit. Of course, she didn't dare to decline. All she could do is to strip off her costume, hand it to Erza, and rush up to the little meeting room as fast as she could.

Now, she was dressed in nothing but a ratty T-shirt, jean cut-offs, and flip-flops. Her face and hair was still made up dramatically. Long story short: she looked like the less scary version of Enchantress from Suicide Squad dressed in a I HEART NY shirt. Lovely.

Quietly, the door cracked open, and the Black Assassin walked in.

He was rather good-looking, athletic, with dark blond hair, a hard and angular face, a wiry figure, and grey eyes, the color of a rising storm. Fortunately, he wasn't dressed too formal either, just in a clean white shirt, a black jacket, and jeans. He took a seat on the chair opposite of her.

For a moment, Anastasia hesitated. Yes, she had been in this room many times, making deal after deal, but this… this felt almost wrong. There was a small aura around him, an aura of danger, quietly warning her to get the hell out of there before something nasty happened.

"You seem to have good business," he said calmly. His voice was quiet, but there was a feeling to it. You know how there are some people who just walk into a loud, noisy room, say a simple "good morning", and the whole room just falls silent immediately? He was kind of like that.

"Yes, we do." Anastasia said simply.

He looked up at her. Everything about him seemed to scream danger.

"Do you still do assassination?" he asked.

Anastasia paused.

Firestorm was famous for its assassins. In fact, every single one of their members could kill if necessary. Lots of people also came to them asking to assassinate who-and-who too. Only recently, their assassination mail slowed dramatically. No one really knew why, but Anastasia had a feeling that the Black Assassins probably had something to do with it.

Of course, Fairy Tail didn't know that, but again, no one really told them that they're working for a band of murderers anyway.

"Yes, Firestorm can still kill people," Anastasia said slowly.

"No, I asked if you still assassinate," the Black Assassin said.

Anastasia blinked. "Me?"

He nodded.

Well… the answer is yes. Yes, she did assassinate. She could still assassinate. It was just such a surprising answer it caught her completely off guard. Yes, she was the one who gave other Firestorm members the killing list, but she probably killed two or three times more than an average Firestorm assassin. No one ever asked her if she still killed.

"Good," the Black Assassin said. "I want you to kill Lynette Scorch."

"What?" Anastasia said, stunned. Lynette Scorch was the bloody ruler of Firestorm. She was the top of the pyramid, the literal queen of everything. She had all power, and if she wanted the entire world demolished, it would be done. And… Anastasia wasn't Scorch's number one fan, but she didn't exactly want her killed either. No Scorch = no Firestorm = one jobless little girl who knows fifty ways to gut a person but has no idea what in the world Newton's Laws are.

"Kill Lynette Scorch," he repeated.

"No!" Anastasia blurted.

Thunder seemed to rumble outside. The roaring circus beneath them seemed to still. Shadows seemed to writhe on the walls as his face darkened.

Deftly, he placed a small piece of paper on the desk. "We'll discuss this further. Have a nice day, Ms. Jaden."

Without another word, he left the room.

Anastasia just sat there, stunned and not quite sure what to do.


	3. Two

**Here's the next chapter. Please review!**

 **Firestorm Circus**

 **Chapter Two**

" _And we're slipping off the course that we prepared…"  
Glory and Gore, Lorde_

Once the Dance of Knives was over, Erza had literally torn off the costume and changed back into her armor, nearly crying with relief at the feel of the leather and steel. After that, she made her way to the top of the circus, where she perched on one of the wooden beams propping up the roof of the tent and watched the rest of the show.

Firestorm Circus performed all night. There really was no set time. You just had to be there at seven to set up, eight when the first act is shown, and the ending time… Sometimes it ended in just an hour, and sometimes it didn't end until dawn. The performers took their time with their individual acts, trying something new every night.

Today, the Circus ended a bit early, but other than that, everything went well. Erza was particularly proud of the ending. Juvia had thrown her hand into the air, and every drop of water, from the fish tanks to the little trickles between floorboards rose into the air. Every speck of dirt tainting the floating droplets disappeared, causing each drop to shimmer with rainbows and light. After that, Gray snapped his fingers, and every droplet crystalized into ice, but every orb had different patterns cut into it, shimmering like stars as it rained down upon the audience. Naturally, everyone had gone crazy, trying to keep one for a souvenir… though it'd probably melt once they leave the Circus.

"Hey,"

Erza felt herself relaxing as Lucy climbed up beside her. Lucy was a Beast Tamer, leading the animals to perform tricks onstage. She was still dressed in the shiny little costume that left streaks of glitter everywhere. In the past, Erza was seriously annoyed at the neon orange sparkles that Lucy left all over the Circus, but over time, everyone got used to it, and there really was no point in changing it.

"Great job today," Lucy said.

"Thanks. You too," Erza said quietly.

There was a moment of silence as they watched the people pour from the Circus. Surrounding the stage in a slight semicircle were the stands, able to seat thousands of people. After ten minutes, not a single person was left. Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen was good at their job as the security team, making sure that not even the sneakiest fan lurking in the shadows could be found.

"Let's get to bed. It's already midnight," Erza suggested.

Lucy nodded. Easily, they swung from the beams until they finally hit the ground. Around them, the cleanup team was already moving, tossing away empty soda cans and snack wrappers.

Erza and Lucy headed to the back of the Circus, where there was a tiny, insignificant door built into the stands. Erza stuck her thumb onto the center of the doorknob, and the door swung open.

The quarters for the staff were built into the stands, and you'd be surprised at how big it actually was. Yes, you had to have some roommates and you had to share showers, but the bedrooms were decently-sized, and the showers had a Jacuzzi tub, so it definitely made up for the minor discomfort. In addition to that, there was also a Gym for exercising, a cafeteria offering gourmet food from all over the world, and a minibar. No one complained at all.

Erza walked down the hallway, squeezing for a bit before it widened into a small circle, where even more passages were lain out before them.

"I'll head over to the showers," Erza said. She didn't have to bring any clothes with her, since she could just Requip into them. That was one of the perks of being a Requip mage. She simply had to concentrate a bit, and whatever she wanted to wear would immediately 'replace' her old clothes.

"Sure," Lucy said. "I'll go to sleep first."

Erza nodded before heading over. Soon, she could see the walls getting damper, the air getting thicker, and the smell of flowers and herbs growing stronger as she neared the place.

Erza was pushing open the door when she stopped.

"Hello, Erza."

"Jellal," Erza managed, turning around.

Sure enough, he was just standing there, looking at her. There was no expression on his face. He wore a tank top and cargo pants, along with a pair of combat boots.

"How can I help you?" Erza asked stiffly.

"Before you shower, would you like to train for a bit?" Jellal suggested. He didn't smile, but his tone did lighten slightly.

Erza hesitated. From time to time, people would like to train for a bit, to practice their fighting skills and magic. Whenever Erza went for some training, she always rose victorious. But she had never trained with Jellal before.

"Sure," Erza said.

Jellal smiled, but it wasn't a kind one.

Erza followed Jellal down the hall, before entering the Gym. It was a massive chamber covered in tumble mats, sandbags, and other exercise equipment. The air conditioning wheezed stale, dusty air, and there was a faint smell of sweat under everything. They were the only ones there.

Erza concentrated, and a katana appeared before her. She picked it up.

Jellal headed over to a cleared section. Erza followed wordlessly.

"Ready?" Jellal offered.

Erza growled, and lunged forward.

Jellal leapt back faster than Erza could even blink. The knife cut into nothing but air, but Erza regained her balance quickly, stepping back. Jellal's smile widened, but again, it wasn't a kind one.

Jellal sprang forward, energy coiling around his fists. Erza raised her knives, slicing, but he dodged every single freaking one of the attacks. A heavy boot smashed into her chest, and Erza staggered back, her lungs gasping for air.

He didn't give her a break. Erza raised her knife, but it was too slow. Jellal raised a fist and brought it down on her. Stars exploded over her vision as she fell, her face stinging.

"Weak," Jellal said coldly. He turned around, not even bothering to help her up, and walked towards the door.

Erza gritted her teeth. She took a deep breath, raised her knife, and with everything she had, all her rage and anger, she hurled it towards him. She knew that it probably wouldn't kill him, but maybe it'd give him a nasty scar to remember or a few sleepless nights filled with pain. That alone would make her day for a month.

The knife was sailing, arcing through the air. Millimeters away from his back, Jellal snapped his fingers. Energy rippled, and the knife simply disintegrated.

"Too predictable," Jellal said simply. Without sparing her a further glance, he just walked out of the Gym. The door clanged shut, and the Gym suddenly seemed too large, too empty.

Erza felt her face flush with humiliation. Even if there wasn't anyone there to see her like this, she was horribly embarrassed and mostly… she was angry. She was just so frighteningly angry.

* * *

Anastasia didn't look at the paper all night. In fact, she didn't even see it until ten in the morning the next day, after making a few more deals and taking a long shower. However, she did think of the deal quite a bit. Should she kill Scorch? Should she not?

The little slip of paper just had an address and a time on it. Anastasia recognized it immediately. It was just a little bar downtown, not particularly good, but not bad either. It was such a normal place… honestly, for a moment, Anastasia expected the location to be a dungeon or some secret chamber, but it was just… a bar. The time was simply noon, which was also very ordinary. It was so simple it was a little scary.

"All right," Anastasia breathed. She closed her eyes. There was a very nasty feeling in her stomach she didn't like at all.

She rifled through her closet and picked out a pair of shorts and a shirt with flowery designs on it. She kept a small knife tucked into the waistband, and one more hidden in the tiny backpack she carried. She pulled back her cropped hair into a stumpy little ponytail, slipped on some sunglasses, and she was ready to go.

The heat outside the circus nearly blew her off her feet. It was probably a hundred degrees out there. Everyone was in the shade, and she probably looked like a raving idiot to be walking out in the sun.

The trip downtown took about forty minutes. All of the shops were open, but no one was moving around buying things. She could see curtains drawn and hear fans whirring. She kept to the shade, which did help a little, but by the time she arrived at the stupid bar, her face was probably redder than a tomato, and she was dripping with sweat.

Honestly, Anastasia would like nothing better to do than to run into the air-conditioned bar and order some iced tea, but oh no. She was dealing with the bloody Black Assassins.

Reluctantly, Anastasia circled the bar twice, searching for hidden weapons or anything else suspicious. In the end, she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was because she was a little dizzy from the heat. It was getting harder and harder to walk in a straight line.

Oh well. Anastasia headed into the bar. The welcoming blast of air conditioning nearly made her cry. Carefully, Anastasia studied the interior. It was a very standard place, with a wooden bar cutting across the room and a small section for dining. Little glass fish swum their way across the walls and ceiling, and deep purplish curtains were drawn, blocking out the unwelcomed sun.

The bar was very quiet, and there was nearly no one there. Of course, that made her a little wary. Crowded places were usually safer, because with civilians running around, the Black Assassins would have a harder time grabbing her. But with no one around, it would be a little too easy to interrogate her, torture her, anything really.

Anastasia sat down. A barman appeared from the back room. He was also very ordinary-looking, with tufty brown hair sticking all over the place and a friendly expression.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked.

"I'll just take a Paloma" Anastasia said. It was only two ingredients: tequila and grapefruit soda. With fewer ingredients, it's harder for poison or other chemicals to get mixed in. Nevertheless, Anastasia watched him very closely, making sure that nothing was getting into her drink.

The barman placed the peach-colored drink onto the bar with a napkin. Anastasia took a sip.

Well, she didn't die, so that was a bonus.

The door opened again, and the Black Assassin stepped into the room. Anastasia immediately placed the drink down and sat up straighter. She had arrived nearly an hour earlier, and so had he. This would either mean that he also tended to arrive ahead of time, or that he had eyes on her. That was not good.

"Hey," Anastasia said.

He took a seat next to her. Despite the boiling heat outside, he looked calm and cool, and his pale face was as colorless as always. Anastasia suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious, since her face was still swollen and puffy from the heat.

The Black Assassin nodded towards the barman. The barman immediately poured him a small glass of plain vodka.

"Have you thought about the deal?" the Black Assassin asked.

"Yes," Anastasia said honestly.

"What do you think of it?" he said.

Anastasia stared at the drink. "No, I won't kill Scorch."

"Why not?" he said. "I would offer you money, but I know you're not interested in it. What else would you like? We can offer you anything."

"Well, here's the thing," Anastasia said. "I don't freaking need anything. I already have everything. So I won't kill Scorch, all right?"

There was a long pause.

"Thank you for giving us a bit of information," the Assassin said at last. He didn't look disappointed or angry. He didn't betray a single bit of emotion. "We'll ask you again, but at that time, I'm sure you'll be ready to take the deal then."

The Assassin stood up and drank the vodka. Then, he just walked out.

Anastasia sat there for a moment. What did she just say? Why would he thank her? She didn't reveal anything…

Anastasia covered her mouth. Shit. She mentioned that she had everything. And when someone has everything, you can take that away from her. She… she had just told a freaking Black Assassin that she was happy. And that happiness could be taken away way too easily.

Anastasia exhaled shakily. Fortunately, she didn't tell him what she had, so he might take a while figuring that out. That was a relief.

But again… why would he want her to kill Scorch? She simply couldn't understand. After all, Scorch didn't do anything to them. They just minded their own business. To top it all off, there was a Black Assassin working in Firestorm. Surely they wouldn't want to risk his safety.

Anastasia shook her head and finished her drink. She headed towards the door, but right at that moment, she crashed into something.

"Hey!" Anastasia yelped.

"Whoa! Sorry!"

Anastasia stumbled back. A young man, probably around his early twenties, was walking into the bar when they accidentally bumped into each other. He was actually pretty good looking, with ruffled dark hair and sea green eyes. Honestly, he looked a teeny bit like Percy Jackson.

"Oh," Anastasia said.

The boy smiled easily. "Are you all right?"

"I'm good, t-thanks," Anastasia stuttered.

"All right," the boy stepped into the bar. "See you later."

Anastasia smiled and waved before leaving out into the heat. She didn't know why, but in a way… she liked that innocent civilian boy she just met.


	4. Three

**Hello everyone. Here's the next chapter. Please review! Reviews make me very happy. Thanks.**

 **Firestorm Circus**

 **Chapter Three**

" _But in all chaos…"  
Glory and Gore, Lorde_

Erza took a deep breath. She didn't think about what had happened yesterday. She didn't want to. So she calmed herself down, breathed a bit more, and let it all fall away. Training with Jellal? It was nothing important. She would have a long life. It would just be another meaningless event in that long, long life.

Now, running the Circus was important. People were beginning to flock in, finding themselves seats and chatting excitedly among themselves. It was time to give them another night of lights and excitement.

Erza headed backstage. Everyone was working furiously, either changing or waiting in line to get their make-up done. Mira, the make-up artist and costume designer, was making finishing touches on Loke, the Magician.

"Is it almost done?" Erza asked.

Mira looked up, smiling sweetly. Her long, pale hair was pulled back, and her big blue eyes were bright. She enjoyed her job greatly, and there was no doubt about that.

"Almost there…" Mira styled one last lock of Loke's ginger hair and helped him up. "You're ready to go!"

Erza nodded, opening the door to the stage for him. Loke smiled easily at her as he walked through. Immediately, the lights flickered on, and the crowd roared as they saw him appear. Of course, Erza couldn't blame them for being so enthusiastic. Loke was ridiculously good-looking, and he did have a history of sneaking off with fans and returning the next morning.

Erza watched from the side, where there was a one-way window available from where she was standing. Loke's fingers flashed as they whipped through thick decks of cards easily. Screens projected his actions so that everyone could clearly see the cards appear, disappear, and appear again.

"Levy, are you ready?" Erza said, turning to the little girl standing before her.

Levy tied her hair back with her favorite orange headband. "Ready."

As Loke finished his show by showering cards over the audience, a thin wire stretched over the stadium. With a puff of smoke, Loke disappeared, and the spotlights swung to reveal Levy deftly dancing across the wire thinner than hair. Her soft hair whipped around her face as she twirled across the line. Everyone craned their necks, following her every step. If she fell, she'd be dead. But she never faltered. Every step was sure and true, and by the time she made it to the other end of the circus, everyone was on their feet, roaring with approval.

Next came the acrobats. Wendy and Romeo were very young, but they were incredibly skilled. They leapt onstage, twining and twirling, flipping over and over. Watching them was like seeing two spirits dancing, graceful and poised. It was beautiful.

But they didn't dance for too long. As they scampered offstage, the unmistakable roar of beasts soon filled the circus. Tigers and lions roared their way onstage, followed by the Beast Tamers, Lucy and Lisanna. They were both dressed in orange dresses and carried whips, but of course, the whips were only for show. Neither of them would ever dream of hurting the beasts.

The Beast Tamers made their way to the center of the stage, where there was a raised platform for them to stand on. They raised their whips, and at once, lashed out, a crack echoing through the air. The tigers and lions ran in circles around the platform, rolling and diving. Soon, Lucy and Lisanna joined the beasts, dancing openly with them, never fearing the teeth or claws.

After that came the Fire. Once all of the animals were ushered offstage, Natsu, with all his fiery glory, burst into flames. Ashes swirled around them as he laughed, spitting fire and juggling flaming torches. Everything was aglow with the inhuman red light, and the temperature increased at least ten degrees. As Natsu disappeared in an explosion of flame, the Dance of Knives began.

Anastasia and Jellal sprinted towards each other and began to fight. Every move was precise and perfectly executed. It was a perfect performance. Erza turned away from the window. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. She shouldn't be feeling this way, but… despite everything, she did feel a small pang of… jealousy? In a way, she should be the one dancing with him, not Anastasia.

Erza shook her head. There was no freaking way that she would ever dance with Jelall ever again.

The rest of the performances went by in a blur. Alzack and Bisca executed their acts beautifully, and Gajeel performed nicely too. The ending act, led by Juvia and Gray, were as magical as always and when the audience left, Erza was sure that every review would give them five out of five stars.

Everything was going beautifully. Then why did she feel so sad?

* * *

Anastasia was a very careful person. She was always very cautious, which was probably why she was still alive for so long.

The Black Assassin wanted to meet her. Fine, then.

When the Circus was over, she headed off to the bar they had met at yesterday. Yes, two AM was a ridiculous time, but the bar did say that they provided 24 hours of service. And mostly, she wasn't there to meet him. She was there to question the bartender. She didn't think that the bartender would know too much, but the bartender would definitely be able to provide a bit of information and a bit of information as better than none at all.

Anastasia changed into black jeans and a navy hoodie. With her dark bronze skin and shady clothes, she'd be nothing but a shadow slipping quietly into the night.

On her way there, everyone was in bed. The streets were very quiet, apart from the random chirp of a bird or insect. Even the shadows and dark alleys seemed to be frighteningly silent.

Anastasia headed to the bar. It seemed to be the only spot of light in the darkness, looking out of place.

She pushed open the door and stopped. The boy she bumped into yesterday was there, talking to the barman.

"So you're sure she works there?" the boy asked insistently.

"I'm sure, I've been living here for my entire life, you think I don't know?" the bartender sounded frustrated. "Look, that's all I know about her, so if you're not buying anything, can you please go?"

Her… was that 'her' they were talking about be her?

The boy turned, and for a second, his face morphed into an expression of pure panic when he saw her. Then, the panic disappeared, replaced by a look of nonchalance as he walked past her without a second glance.

"You want anything?" the bartender asked.

The boy was heading into the night.

"No, wrong place." Anastasia said. Without another word, she turned and ran after the boy.

* * *

The boy moved very quickly, striding across the streets and roads. Anastasia was at least ten meters behind him, pressing near to the shops and alleys. Every time he turned to check his back, Anastasia simply had to duck behind a corner, and he didn't suspect a single thing.

Anastasia didn't know how long they were like that. The boy kept on walking, and she kept on following. Of course, she made sure to check her surroundings to make sure that she wasn't being led into an ambush, and remembered her way back, but despite everything, there was a tiny bit of nervousness twirling around in her stomach.

Then, the boy walked up to a building… or more accurately, a warehouse. It was really more of a big metal box streaked with dirt and moss. The only clean part was a small door with a keypad beside it. The boy turned around and checked his back one last time before covering a keypad with his hands and tapping in a code. The warehouse door slid open soundlessly, and the boy disappeared inside.

Anastasia took a step forward, but hesitated. There was a nice, lovely security camera hovering over the door, and she was not daft enough to walk up and investigate. The best she could do is to just stare at the stupid door from a safe distance and fume.

Fine, then. She'll be back sometime later. With her camera-disabling kit. And a keypad-hacking tool. And dressed head to toe in Kevlar, just in case.


	5. Four

**Hello everyone.**

 **I'll be going on vacation to Europe (my lifelong dream. XD) for a while, so it's going to be a teeny bit difficult to update. So yeah… that's just a quick heads-up.**

 **Without further ado, let's begin.**

 **Firestorm Circus**

 **Chapter Four**

"… _there is calculation."  
Glory and Gore, Lorde_

The next day, everything just got a whole lot more interesting. And good old normality? Deteriorating faster than the Titanic.

Everything started off very normally. Anastasia woke up from a good snooze and headed down to the kitchens where she made herself some black coffee. Then, she went out with Erza and Lucy to eat a brunch and window-shop for a bit (their paycheck hadn't come out yet, unfortunately). Finally, they headed back to the Circus to prepare for the night's performances.

But oh no. That was when everything went wrong.

The boy from last night, the ordinary civilian boy was standing at the Circus gates, with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a look of expectance on his face. When he saw them, he waved.

Something must have twitched on her face, because when Anastasia looked up again, the boy wore a sheepish expression on his face.

"Hello," Erza said, her voice formal.

"Hey," the boy said. He held out a hand. "I'm Jonathan."

Erza took it, but dropped it quickly. Jonathan – that was a nice name – definitely noticed the coolness of it, but was thankfully kind enough not to look offended.

"Nice to meet you," Lucy said. "If you're here for the Circus, it starts at eight tonight…"

"I'm not here for the Circus. Well, I kind of am, but…" Jonathan faltered.

"What are you here for?" Erza's voice was definitely cold.

Jonathan held up his hands. "I'm looking for a job. Does this Circus hire?"

"No," Erza cut him off with brutal efficiency. "Come on, let's go."

"Whoa, wait!" Jonathan blurted, stumbling forward. His hand grabbed onto Erza's shoulder. Erza's eyes flashed. Anastasia flinched. The boy tucked his hand back into a pocket so quickly it was almost funny.

"Goodbye, Jonathan." Erza's voice wasn't just cold. It was frigid.

"Wait, but I know about this Circus, though!" Jonathan blurted. "I know that you guys aren't just a Circus. You guys trade stuff, illeg… well, not always legal stuff."

Anastasia felt her veins turn into ice. Lucy's eyes widened. Erza paled. Lucy and Erza knew about Firestorm's trading business, but they didn't know that Firestorm also did assassinations. And if Jonathan knew about that, Anastasia couldn't have him running around telling Fairy Tail members about it. That would be awful.

"Erza, why don't we give Jonathan a try?" Anastasia said. It sounded oddly nice in her mouth. "You know, it's better than the alternative."

Erza paused. Anastasia could see the gears whirring in her head. Right now, Jonathan had made a stupid move. He told them that he knew that Firestorm wasn't just a Circus. Yes, it got their attention, but he did endanger his life an awful lot. The easy option would be to lure Erza and Lucy away, and then kill Jonathan. The hard way would be to hire Jonathan, so they could keep an eye on him and figure out where in hell he got that info.

"All right," Erza said. She clearly didn't look happy about it.

Anastasia smiled and gestured towards the back doors. "Follow us this way."

Jonathan smiled happily and walked after them. Lucy and Erza shot her an anxious glance. Anastasia shrugged as she opened the door for everyone, and headed in after them.

Beside her, Anastasia could hear Jonathan's breath catch as he saw the Circus. She could hear him murmuring in awe as he saw the technology, and she practically heard his jaw smack the ground when they walked past a small group of Fairy Tail members, practicing stunts for the performance tonight.

Erza and Lucy left to set up. Anastasia led him to the same interrogation room where she had met up with the Black Assassin. There really was nothing wrong, but when Jonathan walked in, Anastasia did feel a teeny bit uncomfortable.

"So," Anastasia said, taking a seat. Jonathan took a seat as well, so they were facing each other. "What are you interested in? Are you a tech person? Or are you more of an action type?"

Jonathan shrugged casually. "Oh, I'm good with a bit of tech, sure, but I'd choose the outdoors over sitting in a computer room."

Anastasia nodded. "We have lots of jobs here, but there's some bad news."

"Uh oh,"

"You see, we're not used to having people walk up randomly and ask for jobs," Anastasia said. "And right now, we have everything we need. We got the actors, we got the security, and what the heck, and even our cleaning crew is packed."

"So you're saying that there are no more jobs left?" Jonathan said uncertainly.

"Yes," Anastasia said simply.

"Oh," Jonathan looked so crestfallen it was really sad. For a moment, even Anastasia felt a pang of pity for him.

"But," Anastasia continued. "I am the Associate Overseer of Firestorm Circus, which is just some really fancy words for second-in-command. Basically, if I want to drop a bomb in the middle of the audience, I can do it, and I can get away with it. So of course, I can give you a job."

"Great! What is it?" Jonathan said eagerly. "And please. Don't lock me up in the IT Department. No offense, of course, but I just get really bored by computers and stuff…"

Anastasia fought to keep the smile off her face. It was hard to believe that such an innocent little boy could somehow pick up the biggest secrets of Firestorm… well, that killed the smile really quick.

"I'm actually looking for an assistant." Anastasia suggested. "You'll have to do a bit of paperwork, but I'm actually pretty busy, and I actually have to go to some very interesting places to manage business. So you get your share of the outdoors and a very well-paid job, and I get an assistant to help me clear the papers off my desk. Deal?"

Jonathan nodded seriously. "Deal."

Anastasia handed him some papers to sign and whatnot. And despite everything, Anastasia was a little bit proud of her solution.

Jonathan was clearly working with someone. Or if he isn't, then he's an abnormally smart kid. Either way, keeping him hear her would be the safest option, and it would be a very good opportunity for her to get more information about him. People tend to let little things slip, and when Jonathan does make a slip, Anastasia will be on it fast. Yes, the standard thing to say would be to openly interrogate Jonathan about where he got Firestorm's secrets, but trust was far more important than that. If Anastasia could get Jonathan to trust her, he would be a bit more relaxed, and relaxed meant information slips. Open interrogation would clearly destroy that trust.

"Done!" Jonathan threw down the pen. Anastasia picked up the papers and skimmed the report. Everything looked normal enough. After that, she tucked the documents into a folder, which she would take down to the IT Department for more confirmations.

"Now, we need a safety precaution," Anastasia said. She reached under the desk, opened a drawer, and picked up a small black wristband.

Jonathan pointed at it. "I do not like the look of that."

Anastasia laughed. "Yeah, I don't either. But trust me, everyone has to go through it. Even I did."

"What does it do?" Jonathan asked.

"Here,"

Before Jonathan could move, Anastasia snapped it onto his wrist. Jonathan scowled, twisting it around and around, but at least he didn't try to crack it off immediately.

"It's kind of like a tracker, video camera, and audio recorder at the same time," Anastasia said slowly.

"What?" Jonathan yelped. "So I won't ever have privacy?"

Anastasia suddenly felt like squirming. "Well, yes, but it's only for the first few weeks. We'll be able to hear you, see you, and yeah, you won't have any privacy, but it's only for the first few weeks. After that, you're free to go."

Jonathan scowled some more. "Fine, be that way."

Anastasia smiled weakly. Oh, it was going to be fun.


	6. Five

**Hey guys.**

 **I'll be going on hiatus for this Fanfiction. I know we've just started this story, but at the same time, I'm working on a really important novel with shadowell, and I have to pay a bit more attention to it. The hiatus will probably end around the end of winter break (January or February), and I know it's a long time. Very sorry about it.**

 **Either way, here's the next (and last for a long time) update! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Firestorm Circus**

 **Chapter Five**

" _Dropping glasses just to hear them break."  
Glory and Gore, Lorde_

After watching Anastasia and Jonathan walk off, Erza headed to the backstage with Lucy, where the actors were getting ready for the night's show. While Lucy rushed off to change, Erza paced for a moment. Jonathan knowing about their business was a nasty surprise. If one simple civilian boy was able to find out about this, who else might know?

Immediately, Erza made her way out, heading to the IT Department. First things first: she had to keep a closer eye on the audience, and maybe ask the technicians to do a quick background scan for each person. Yes, there were thousands of people coming each night, but the computers would be able to do most of the work, alerting the technicians only if they saw criminal records or anything like that…

Suddenly, Erza smashed into something hard. She stumbled back, her heels wobbling dangerously as she fought for balance. She felt her face twisting itself into her infamous expression of annoyance, and she was ready to chew that brat out for blocking her way, but everything died down when she saw who she just bumped into.

Lovely. It was Jellal.

"I never knew you were this… uncoordinated." Jellal said coolly.

"I don't care," Erza snarled. "Get out of my way."

Jellal's eyes hardened, but he stood aside to let her pass. Erza stormed down the hall, refusing to spare him a second glance. When she entered the IT Department, she practically spat her instructions out at the technicians. She knew she was being overdramatic and unreasonable, but at the same time, that simple encounter made her so… angry.

Erza returned backstage after that. She was still burning with anger, but at the same time, she felt her eyes stinging with tears. Blast it, Jellal was never like this. But when he came back… where in the freaking world was the boy she had once loved so much?

* * *

" _You know," Erza said importantly. "You really should stop looking for those Black Assassins."_

" _Really?" Jellal said skeptically._

" _Uh huh," Erza answered with all the wisdom and dignity she had gathered over her life of eight years. But she did pause a bit to lick off a dollop of her strawberry ice-cream before continuing. "First of all, it's stupid. You're never going to find them anyway. Why? They don't exist! Second of all, they're the bad guys. Why do you even want to join the bad guys anyway?"_

 _Jellal sighed a long and tired sigh, probably because they had this conversation over a hundred times already. He threw out his chocolate ice-cream wrapper (Erza could never figure out why he didn't pick strawberry). Then, he began to talk._

" _Erza, I told you that the Black Assassins exist. Grandpa Rob is one of their friends. You've seen the weapons and gifts he has," Jellal started._

" _Those weapons are fake," Erza snipped._

 _Jellal ignored her. "And the Black Assassins aren't the bad guys. They're just doing what they think is the right thing."_

" _How do you know?" Erza challenged. "By your Internet searches? Random articles and fake weapons aren't real proof."_

 _Jellal's face turned pink. But Erza thought he was still the cutest ten-year-old she had ever seen._

" _The Internet has a lot of stuff," Jellal said defensively. Erza shrugged and turned back to her ice-cream, but she had a smug smile on her face. Even if Jellal wasn't going to admit it, Erza knew that she won this argument._

 _A few hours later, Jellal and Erza finished playing around and headed home for dinner. Erza could still remember the smell of seawater and sand clinging to them as they left the beach. She could still remember the wind ruffling through his dark hair as he laughed and waved, scampering indoors. She could still remember the perfect, beautiful, innocent boy she secretly had a crush on._

 _The next day, Erza headed to Jellal's house as usual. They walked together to school every day. But when she arrived, something was wrong. Jellal's parents were crying on the couch, and a policeman was talking to them._

 _And Jellal? Jellal was nowhere to be seen._

* * *

All night long, Jonathan's first task was sorting papers. Anastasia did feel a little bad for him as she handed him stack after stack of documents to file, but Jonathan had a good attitude. He did his work diligently, never complaining. Anastasia liked that.

The next morning, when he entered the Circus, Anastasia tossed him a hiking backpack.

"Are you ready to hike?" Anastasia asked cheerfully.

Jonathan gazed at the backpack, stunned. "Yes."

"Great," Anastasia said. "There's lunch and water in that bag. We'll be headed up a small mountain to deliver a package. It'll be a two hour hike up, and two hours down. Once we get back, we'll have to start preparing the Circus for tonight. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" Jonathan said eagerly.

Anastasia laughed. It was hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm.

They went into the Circus for a little while to get changed. Anastasia stripped off her jeans and blouse and changed into a comfortable pair of black pants, a tank top, and a light jacket. As she was lacing up her hiking boots, Jonathan came out of his changing room, dressed similarly.

After that, they headed off. The mountain was only a few miles away, and they ate up the distance easily. Jonathan was clearly very happy, chatting away. Anastasia also responded with a bit of conversation, but mostly, she was listening. When they reached the mountain, she knew that Jonathan's father was the principal of a school and a professor, and how life did get a little awkward when you're in your dad's class.

Then, they began their trek for real. The scenery was very pretty, but mostly, it's the hike that was a little worrying. The mountain wasn't very big, but the trail was very steep. By the time they stopped halfway up for lunch, Anastasia was definitely ready for a break, but Jonathan was still pretty chill, bouncing up and down.

Either way, they made it up to the top. Anastasia made Jonathan wait beside a particularly large tree while she climbed up an extra half mile, leaving the package under a rock. As she headed down, she arrived just in time to see Jonathan stuff something into his mouth.

"What was that?" Anastasia asked.

Jonathan glanced at her. "Hm?"

"The thing you just stuck in your mouth," Anastasia clarified. For a moment, she was worried that it was Evapopaper, a sheet of paper that dissolved in any form of water. Anastasia actually liked using it for messages and stuff. If someone nasty came, all she had to do was to stuff it in her mouth and let the saliva do its work. But in this case… If Jonathan did receive a message from maybe someone helping him… the tracker should be able to catch the message, but there were techniques to avoid the camera embedded there…

"Oh, it's a breath mint." Jonathan said easily. He held out a box of icebreakers. "Want one?"

"It's all right, thanks." Anastasia said. Even from the distance, she could smell the mint in his breath.

Anastasia relaxed slightly. As far as she could see, mint flavored Evapopaper hadn't been invented yet, so Jonathan probably isn't a spy… right?


End file.
